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Posted: April 24, 2009

Georgia Tech formally dedicates Marcus Nanotechnology Building

(Nanowerk News) Three years after breaking ground, Georgia Tech is set to dedicate the Marcus Nanotechnology Building, one of the most ambitious and expensive projects in the Institute’s history. The ceremony will be held on Friday, April 24, at 3PM.

The 190,000-square-foot complex poises Georgia Tech to be a global hub for nanotechnology research and development while igniting an environment that could potentially transform both local and state economies.

Schematic structure of a CNT based IR detector with a nanoscale antenna. (Image: Dr. Ning Xi, Michigan State University)

“The opening of the Marcus Nanotechnology Building positions Georgia Tech as the premier facility for nanotechnology in the U.S.,” said Georgia Tech President Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “The invaluable research and activities taking place at our Nanotechnology Research Center (NRC) will affect the lives of every individual, from health care advances to green energy development and personal technology. Georgia Tech and Atlanta are now sufficiently equipped to be the nanotechnology hub of the southeast and the U.S.”

The Marcus building, coupled with current nanotechnology research facilities at the Pettit Microelectronics Building, creates an unparalleled complex for the development of nanotechnology enhanced by world-class researchers, faculty and student talent.

The $90 million facility was made possible in part by a grant from philanthropist Bernie Marcus, founder and chairman of the Marcus Foundation, who made a $15 million commitment to the project. Marcus views nanotechnology as a driving force in innovation and economic development for the 21st century and beyond.

"There isn’t anything that nanotechnology will not touch or influence in the future,” Marcus said. “It will enhance medicine, high-technology and consumer products. I hope that nanotechnology will do for Georgia Tech, Atlanta and the region what the ‘chip’ did for Silicon Valley.”

Foremost among the new facility’s attributes is 30,000 square feet of clean room space, which provides the sterile environment and sophisticated equipment necessary to maximize the potential of nanotechnology. Companies such as Intel, Hewlett-Packard, SanDisk and Kimberly-Clark have utilized the current NRC facility and clean room space for product research and development.

With the addition of the facilities in the Marcus Nanotechnology Building, Georgia Tech’s nanotechnology efforts could potentially be an economic boon for the Institute and metro Atlanta. Last year, nearly 600 users from academia, private enterprise and government utilized the existing facilities. The new facility will allow for significant growth in external users.

“The NRC aims to be the hub of nanotechnology research and development nationally, delivering Atlanta the recognition in this field that the San Francisco Bay area earned for silicon chip development,” said Dr. James Meindl, director of the Joseph M. Pettit Microelectronics Research Center founding director of the Nanotechnology Research Center.

The dedication of the Marcus building will be followed by a reception and tours of the facility. Speakers at the event will include Marcus, Dr. Peterson, Dr. Meindl and Erroll B. Davis, Jr., chancellor of the University System of Georgia.